Marian Barasch of Albany was recently named
department chairperson for the Automotive and Technologies department at
Hudson Valley Community College. In this newly created position, Barasch
will oversee all of the college's automotive programs as well as Electrical
Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology, Manufacturing Technical
Systems, Mechanical Engineering and the Telecommunications programs.

In his new position, Barasch will oversee curriculum
development, faculty hiring and academic advisement for the college's Automotive
and Technologies department. Prior to becoming department chairperson,
Barasch was a Mechanical Engineering Technology associate professor at
Hudson Valley, a position he held from 1985 until 2001. He also currently
is an adjunct professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at the SUNY
Institute of Technology.

A native of Romania, Barasch received his bachelor's
degree in mechanical engineering from Romania's Polytechnic Institute of
Bucharest in 1970. He earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering
from the University of Houston in 1976 and a master's degree in nuclear
engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1982.

A member of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, Barasch was listed in the 2001 edition of "Strathmore's Who's
Who." Before beginning his academic career at Hudson Valley, he spent 14
years as a consultant and industrial training instructor in vibration analysis
and machinery monitoring, working with paper, power and automotive industries,
as well as the United States government. He also has worked in design,
research and project engineering.

Hudson Valley Community College offers more
than 50 degree and certification programs in four academic divisions: Liberal
Arts and Sciences; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Sciences;
and Business; as well as programs run through the Educational Opportunity
Center offering certification programs in workforce and academic preparation.
One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system,
it has an enrollment of more than 9,000 students each year, and is known
as a leader in distance learning initiatives and worker retraining.